Lynch breaks own rushing record

NIU QB runs for 321 yards to lead Huskies to 33-14 victory over Western Michigan

November 26, 2013|By Shannon Ryan, Chicago Tribune reporter

DEKALB, Ill. — When P.J. Fleck was recruiting Jordan Lynch as a Northern Illinois assistant, Lynch's high school coach sold the blue-collar athlete as the toughest quarterback he would be able to find.

"The minute (Mount Carmel's Frank) Lenti said he's the toughest football player I've ever coached, we all threw our hands up," Fleck said in deference to the highly successful high school coach known for feeding players to college programs.

Now Western Michigan's head coach, Fleck doesn't see it much differently, though he did see it up close Tuesday night.

Lynch delivered a 33-14 thrashing of the Broncos, breaking his own NCAA FBS single-game quarterback record for rushing with 321 yards.

As snow swirled and winds howled during the home finale, No. 14 NIU (12-0, 8-0 MAC) became the most successful team in school history. Lynch finished his career as a starter without a loss at Huskie Stadium and became just the fifth FBS quarterback to rush for at least 4,000 yards and pass for at least 5,000 in a career.

Lynch is considered a long shot for the Heisman Trophy, but he made the best case he could on the field.

"I really don't care what they say," he said of his critics. "It's all about this team. It's all about this family."

Others lobbied harder for him.

NIU coach Rod Carey repeated his campaign push, stating, "If he's not in the Heisman conversation, I guess I don't know what a Heisman is or should be."

Said Fleck: "I think he's the best player in college football. He's the best football player because he does everything. And he does everything at an elite level. He deserves to be in New York (as a finalist)."

Lynch completed just 5 of 17 passes for 39 yards, struggling in the blustery conditions. But he accounted for all but 104 of NIU's rushing yards as the Broncos (1-11, 1-7) were outgained on the ground 425-93.

"I'm going to fight for every inch," Lynch said.

The Huskies had found themselves in an opportune position even before the game. They jumped past Fresno State earlier in the week when the BCS standings were released, helping their case for a repeat BCS bowl appearance. The Bulldogs and Huskies have been battling in the standings to become the non-automatic qualifier to earn a bid.

Fleck said he's the "luckiest man alive to be the head coach of Western Michigan." He apologized for leaving the NIU offensive coordinator position in 2012 after one day to take a position as a receivers coach in the NFL.

"It's the only decision I regret for how I handled it," he said.

The Huskies' next challenge will be a fourth-straight MAC championship game appearance, where they will go for their third straight victory.

But on Tuesday night they celebrated what already had been accomplished. The 17 seniors honored before the game were the most successful in program history as they extended their home winning streak to 26 games. The Huskies completed their first undefeated regular season in the modern football era.

Lynch, for one, isn't surprised at the team's — or his own — success.

"I always had high expectations for myself," he said. "I believe in myself. I knew the program was on the rise."